"Hancock" * 1\2 (out of ****)We've had Spider-Man, Superman, a new Batman series, The Incredible Hulk and perhaps the best comic book adaptation Iron Man. But, has there ever been a black superhero? In the world of Barack Obama, it was time to make a movie about one. And so we get "Hancock".
After I somewhat praised "Iron Man" (I gave it two stars) as the best comic book movie made in a while, Hollywood takes three steps backwards and gives what is arguably the worst film I've seen this year.
I walked into "Hancock" not knowing a single bit of information. All I knew was Will Smith was in it and I saw a trailer where he throws a whale into the ocean. I wish I would have kept it that way.
Will Smith was at one time considered the king of the 4th of July weekend box-office with films such as "Independence Day" and "Men In Black". "Hancock" may in fact become a huge success, but, does that necessarily mean it is a good movie?
Smith is not an actor I like. I will forever think of him as the Fresh Prince. He is not someone I take serious as an actor. I view him as a Hollywood mainstream actor who appears in commerical fluff that is rarely entertaining. He doesn't have a wide acting range and usually plays the same type of character. Some city smart, wise-cracking smartalec who is out to save the day. Look me in the face and tell me that doesn't describe characters he played in "Independence Day", "Men In Black" and "Bad Boys".
In "Hancock" Smith plays John Hancock. A man who 80 years ago notice he had superhuman powers. He can fly, withstand a collision from a train and lift cars in the air. But his good deeds are not appreciated. He causes more destruction than good. He destroys roads, causes car crashes and damages buildings all in an attempt to save one person. The people of LA have had enough and a warrant is out for his arrest.
Hancock is also a bum. When we first see him he is sleeping on a bench at a bus stop and has two empty bottles of whisky. All we mostly see Hancock do is sleep and eat when not attempting to help someone. This aspect of Hancock I can see stirring trouble. Depending how far black activist want to take this, they can site racial stereotypes. Hancock is lazy, doesn't have a real job and as I said, mostly sleeps and eats and it takes a white man to save his image.
The white man is Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) who is in public relations. He has grand ideas of changing the world, but when that fails, he sees an opportunity to change the way the world views Hancock. The two meet when Ray is stuck in traffic directly on railroads tracks as a train approaches. Ray can move his car and it is Hancock who comes to the rescue by tipping his car over backwards smashing the car behind him.
In an attempt to say thank you Ray invites Hancock over for dinner to meet his family. His wife Mary (Charlize Theron) and their son Aaron (Jae Head). When Mary and Hancock meet we sense tension in the air. Do these two know each other? How?
What is basically wrong with "Hancock" is it is not very funny and ultimately, as I sat in the theatre I thought to myself, what is really the point of all of this? The movie takes a sudden shift in an attempt to explain the Mary and Hancock relationship and when it does that I knew this film was in trouble. Either the situation should have been established earlier or avoided because it takes away from everything the script had set-up at that point involving Hancock's reform efforts.
I haven't been terribly impressed by what I have seen this year, I still haven't seen one movie I would have described as "one of the year's best" but "Hancock" is sure to make my list of the worst films of the year due to its awful screenplay and bland acting that takes a back seat to special effects.
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